


Despite All Odds

by Nothing_You_Can_Prove



Category: Warm Bodies (2013), Warm Bodies - All Media Types
Genre: Awkwardness, F/M, One Shot, R's POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-23 18:23:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6125860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nothing_You_Can_Prove/pseuds/Nothing_You_Can_Prove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As R wanders aimlessly around the airport, he comes across something that makes him question this new world he lives in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Despite All Odds

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to take a break from writing Life is Strange stuff and do a Warm Bodies fic. I just love Warm Bodies too much and from what I’ve seen, there aren’t too many recent solely Warm Bodies fics. A little idea popped into my head the other day, that I think fits nicely into the Warm Bodies story. I’ve been wanting to do one for a while now. 
> 
> This takes place during the time when R and Julie are in the airport on the plane.
> 
> So, here is my contribution to the fandom.
> 
> Enjoy.

**R’s POV**

I stumble and stagger along the barren wasteland I have come to recognise as my home. I left Julie back at the plane, I thought she could do with a bit of alone time…and I need to have a bit of a think too. Julie has definitely made my death more interesting. I have something to look forward to now, as opposed to just further descending into inhumanity. The long since abandoned aeroplanes sit on the runways around me, their giant metal frames rusted and discoloured from the exposure to the harsh weather conditions. Some have gaping holes in their sides, their windows smashed and their interior destroyed. They are no longer salvageable. I actually picked a good spot to live. Most of the Dead just wander around the airport in circles, wondering who they were and finally resigning themselves to their cruel fate of rotting away without a purpose. I on the other hand like to remain positive. I cling to the things that make me feel human again and try to regain what has been taken from me.

As I walk, my foot kicks up the dry and dusty dirt. The wind carries it, causing it to spiral in the air. Some of it ends up flying back into my face. I am as smooth and graceful as ever. My pace dwindles down to a stop as I reach my scar-covered hands up to my face, clumsily wiping the fine dirt from my pewter grey eyes. I can’t multi-task to save my life…the irony. I take this moment to gaze up at the blue sky above me. My eyes follow the clouds as they drift along aimlessly while the sun beats down on me, warming my cold skin slightly. It is these times where I feel human again. I know the heat is not mine, but the illusion is something I can appreciate.

Just as I am about to take another wobbly step forward, something catches my attention. I pull my foot back maladroitly to reveal a small bright yellow flower poking through the soil. It sways gently in the wind as I stare at it. My gaze wanders, revealing that it is the only one around. I stare at this small sign of life in awe. This is the first flower I have seen in a long time that has managed to grow in these harsh conditions. Most plants have long since withered away due to drought or trampling. Somehow, despite all the odds, this single flower has managed to survive…but for how much longer? It is surrounded by weed, which threaten to drag it down…if I leave it, it shall wither, become twisted and inevitably it shall join the world of the Dead.

My eyes scan the area, trying to work out some way of saving this flower. There is a quiet yet noticeable sound from behind me. I turn and see a plastic cup rolling on the floor, pushed by the wind. I chase after it, which is not the easiest of tasks. Every time I get close, another gust of wind blows it out of my reach. Eventually, I manage to grab the empty cup before it evades my reach again. I triumphantly look down at the cup. As I stand up straight, I can see that my display has drawn a small crowd of curious zombies. They must think I am such a weirdo. I already have enough trouble fitting in, now there is no hope. I stare back at them, until they disperse.

I kneel down slowly and balance the plastic cup on the uneven surface, praying that the wind does not blow it away again. I fill it half full with soil to weigh it down. I’d rather not spend another embarrassing interlude trying to retrieve the cup. I turn to the flower, brushing away the restricting weeds and gather it in my hands along with some more soil, careful to get all the roots. I guide it over to the cup and gently place it inside. Now is the fun part, actually trying to get hold of the cup. I open my hand, positioning my fingers around the sides of the cup and grab it. The plastic crunches a bit under my grip. For once, my grip seems firm, which is a novelty, usually I can’t hold anything without my zombie fingers failing me. I get up and carefully make my way back to the plane, the small yellow flower clutched in my grey, scar-covered hands.

…

After a while, I manage to find my plane. I walk up the steps to the plane door and enter the place I have called home for as long as I can remember. I see Julie sitting in one of the plane chairs, her legs propped up on the back of the chair in front of her. She has one of the beers I found on my travels and have been diligently collecting in her hand. She sips it casually while absentmindedly flicking through one of the many magazines in my collection. I squint to try and decipher which one she is reading, but can’t see properly from this angle. As I step forward, the floor creaks under my foot. She snaps her head towards me, looking a little afraid and ready to strike. When she realises it is me, she smiles and sighs in relief, the tension in her body released. She moves some of her long matted blonde hair out of her face.

‘R, I was getting worried. You were gone for a long time.’

She turns her gaze back to the magazine, taking a swig from her bottle. She props the bottle on the arm rest.

‘I was getting bored, so I’m glad you’re back. I must have read this magazine about five times already while you were gone. You really need to find some more.’

I stand there awkwardly as per usual, my hands still clutching tight onto the cup. Julie hums to herself as she reads the magazine.

‘J…Julie.’

Her gaze turns back to me.

‘Yes, R.’

I hold out the cup with the flower in her direction, my arms awkwardly dangling in the air in front of me. Julie’s face shows confusion and curiosity. She puts her magazine down, gets up and comes closer, inspects the flower. Her expression quickly turns to disbelief as she registers what I am holding. She looks at me, her blue eyes sparkle with amusement. She offers me a lop-sided toothy grin, exposing her off white teeth.

‘R, you big sappy dumbie. Where did you find it?’

I motion my head towards the outside.

‘Saw it while walking and d…didn’t want it to die. Thought of you.’

Julie’s smile fades slightly. She raises one of her blonde eyebrows questioningly.

‘Are you trying to compare me to a flower?’

Dread floods my body, freezing me to the spot. If I still had a heart, I know it would be beating erratically from the intensity of her gaze. In fact, I swear I feel a ghost thump in my chest. She stands there expectantly, waiting for my answer. Oh no. What is the right answer here? It kind of reminds me of her a bit. She was in a similar situation when I first met her…trying to survive against the odds and somehow managing it. In this world, there are very few rays of sunlight. People lose themselves, both the Living and the Dead. Julie has managed to retain herself, adapt, but never truly loosing what makes her tick. She can look after herself, I have seen that, yet I still want to try to keep her safe. No-one can do everything on their own and we all need allies. If I tell her all this, say yes…will she get mad?

I shift uncomfortably under her scrutinising gaze. I try to speak, but my words get caught in my throat. I had been doing better recently with expressing myself, but now I may as well be the mindless flesh eating killer that zombies are presumed to be. I do the only thing I can manage right now…I shrug. Julie crosses her arms, looking unimpressed. She hates it when I shrug.

‘Use your words like a big boy.’

I swallow hard, trying to wet my dry throat, not that it helps much. Given, my throat is always dry, but now more so than ever. I stutter more than usual, something I seem to do only when I am around Julie.  

‘M…may…maybe.’

Julie closes her eyes for a moment in contemplation, stroking her chin, then she shakes her head slightly and offers me another wide smile.

‘Thank you, R. It’s a nice gesture.’

She takes the plant from me and places it on a small wooden table in the aeroplane, positioning it carefully. Her expression becomes sterner, but I can see her face straining from trying to suppress a smile.

‘However, if you try to compare me to a delicate flower again, I will hit you without mercy. I don’t need anyone to protect me, I can do that on my own just fine…’

Her face softens.

‘…not that I don’t appreciate the concern.’

I feel a smile tug at the corner of my lips. I knew she would say something like that.

‘G…got it.’

She stares at it for a moment, a fond smile forming on her lips. She turns to me with a distant expression. She is somewhere a million miles from here.

‘My mom got this plant once. Dad protested, saying it didn’t fit in with the room, but he didn’t really stand a chance against mom. She definitely was a stubborn person, like me I guess. Now you see where I get it from. Anyway, mom lost interest in it soon enough, the novelty wore off. For all dad’s moaning, he took care of it better than anyone could have. He’d tell you know that it would be a waste of time and resources…’

Her once confident voice tapers off as she speaks, her expression becomes sadder, a small frown appears and her eyes become downcast. She looks down at her feet and lets out a melancholy sigh at the memory she is reliving. I hate seeing her like this. It’s hard enough living in this world without memories. Sure, memories can keep you going, but they can also make you question as to why you are continuing as well, make you wonder if anything ever be the same again...and if it won’t be, whether it’s worth it to keep trying to survive. I wish there was something I could do to make the pain leave her eyes. I instinctively reach out and touch the back of her hand. As my hand finds hers, her head snaps up abruptly, the pain slowly dissipating being replaced by confusion. She looks down in shock at my hand on hers, her mouth open slightly as if she were about to say something, but no words come out. This is the first time I have seen her speechless, usually she has an answer for everything. Her blue eyes pierce into mine, asking me so many questions at once.

I am as shocked as she is. I didn’t even realise what I was doing until it was too late. Now I’ve messed everything up by being creepy, well done R. I go to move away, but Julie stops me from doing so. She worries her lip between her teeth and takes my hand in hers, squeezing gently. The warmth from her hand spreads across mine as our fingers intertwine. I squeezes her hand back in reply. We don’t say another word, there is nothing left to say. Her hand lingers there for a few moments, then she pulls away, her warmth remaining on my skin even after she has left. She looks away sheepishly and goes back over to her chair. She takes her magazine again and returns to flicking through it. I flop down in a chair, every so often glancing over to Julie. On a few occasions I swear I catch her glancing too, yet before I have the chance to verify, her eyes are pinned back on the page in front of her. I lean back in my chair, staring out of the cracked window next to me.

I will do everything in my power to help her. We'll make it, I know we will…despite all odds. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. I may do some more stories for Warm Bodies at some point if I get any more ideas and if everyone enjoys reading this story.  
> I'll probably end up doing some Julie/Nora fics at some point as well, because this fandom really doesn't have much f/f stuff in it, something I would like to rectify. I like R though, so I don't mind writing an f/m pairing for the Warm Bodies fandom.


End file.
